InPrincipio Podcast

A meditation for the Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. The Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis, observed on September 17 , commemorates the miraculous impression of the wounds of Our Lord’s Passion upon St. Francis of Assisi in 1224, two years before his death. While fasting and praying on Mount La Verna during...

A meditation for the Feast of Pope Saint Cornelius and Saint Cyprian, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. Pope Saint Cornelius and Saint Cyprian, both celebrated on September 16 in the traditional Roman calendar, were great defenders of the Church during the persecution of the Emperor Decius in the third century. Cornelius became Pope in 251 and courag...

A meditation for the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. The Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, traditionally observed on September 15, honors the profound sorrows endured by the Blessed Virgin Mary in union with the sufferings of her Divine Son. The seven sorrows traditionally...

A meditation for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated on September 14, commemorates the triumph and glory of the Cross of Christ, through which Our Lord redeemed the world. The feast recalls especially the recovery of the True Cross from the Persians...

A meditation for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume II of the Time after Pentecost. Please note that Servant of God Dom Prosper Guéranger went to his eternal reward in 1875; at this point, Volumes I-IX (Advent to Pentecost Saturday) had been completed, but Volumes X-XV (Trinity Sunday to Advent) had not yet been completed. Thus, the remaining r...

A meditation for the Fifth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8, commemorates the birth of the Mother of God, through whom the Savior of the world would come into the flesh. Ancient Christian tradition holds t...

A meditation for the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary honors the sacred name of the Blessed Virgin, a name chosen by God and associated with the Mother of Our Savior from the beginning of her life. The name Mary, while having several proposed meanings, has traditionally bee...

A meditation for the Fourth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. Please note that Servant of God Dom Prosper Guéranger went to his eternal reward in 1875; at this point, Volumes I-IX (Advent to Pentecost Saturday) had been completed, but Volumes X-XV (Trinity Sunday to Advent) had not yet...

A meditation for the Feast of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. Saint Nicholas of Tolentino was an Italian Augustinian friar and priest who became renowned for his austere life, deep devotion to prayer, and charitable care for the poor and suffering. Born at Sant’Angelo in Pontano around 1245, he entered the Order of Herm...

A meditation for the Second Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8, commemorates the birth of the Mother of God, through whom the Savior of the world would come into the flesh. Ancient Christian tradition holds...

A meditation for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8, commemorates the birth of the Mother of God, through whom the Savior of the world would come into the flesh. Ancient Christian tradition holds that she was born to Sa...

'Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass' by Fr. Martin von Cochem is a classic 17th-century Catholic devotional work that passionately and engagingly explains the immense spiritual value, mystery, and supernatural power of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Drawing on Scripture, the Church Fathers, and mystical theology, Cochem portrays the Mass as a re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifi...

A meditation for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume II of the Time after Pentecost. Please note that Servant of God Dom Prosper Guéranger went to his eternal reward in 1875; at this point, Volumes I-IX (Advent to Pentecost Saturday) had been completed, but Volumes X-XV (Trinity Sunday to Advent) had not yet been completed. Thus, the remaining r...

A meditation for the Feast of Saint Laurence Justinian, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. Saint Laurence Justinian (1381–1456) was a Venetian nobleman who renounced a life of wealth and privilege to embrace poverty, prayer, and the religious life. He entered the Congregation of the Canons Regular of San Giorgio in Alga, where his holiness, humility,...

Chapter 6 of the Explanation of the Holy Mass by Fr. Martin von Cochem: In the Holy Mass Christ Renews His Life.'Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass' by Fr. Martin von Cochem is a classic 17th-century Catholic devotional work that passionately and engagingly explains the immense spiritual value, mystery, and supernatural power of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Drawing on Scriptu...

A meditation for the Feast of King Saint Stephen of Hungary, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. King Saint Stephen of Hungary (c. 975–1038) was the first King of Hungary and the great apostle of the Hungarian nation. Baptized as a Christian and crowned king around the year 1000, he devoted his reign to establishing Christianity throughout his kingdom,...

A meditation for the Feast of St. Giles, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. Saint Giles (c. 650–c. 724) was a Greek-born hermit and abbot who lived a life of profound solitude and prayer in the forests of southern Gaul, near the Rhône. According to tradition, he lived for many years in a cave, sustained by the milk of a hind, until the animal was purs...

A meditation for the Feast of St. Raymond Nonnatus, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. Saint Raymond Nonnatus (c. 1204–1240) was a Spanish Mercedarian religious renowned for his devotion to the redemption of Christians held captive by the Moors. Born in Portell, Catalonia, he joined the newly founded Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy and trave...

A meditation for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume II of the Time after Pentecost. Please note that Servant of God Dom Prosper Guéranger went to his eternal reward in 1875; at this point, Volumes I-IX (Advent to Pentecost Saturday) had been completed, but Volumes X-XV (Trinity Sunday to Advent) had not yet been completed. Thus, the remaining...

A meditation for the Feast of the Decollation (Beheading) of St. John the Baptist, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. The Feast of the Decollation of St. John the Baptist, traditionally celebrated on August 29, commemorates the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, the Precursor of Christ, who was beheaded at the command of King Herod Antipas. John had b...

A meditation for the Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430) was one of the greatest Fathers and Doctors of the Catholic Church and one of the most influential theologians in Christian history. Born in Tagaste in North Africa, he spent his early life pursuing worldly ambitions and following...

A meditation for the Feast of St. Joseph Calasanz (also known by his Latin name, ‘Calasanctius’), from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. St. Joseph Calasanz (1557–1648) was a Spanish priest and educator who devoted his life to the Christian education of poor children, especially in Rome, where he founded the Piarist Fathers, formally known as the Clerics...

A meditation for the Feast of Pope St. Zephyrinus, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. Pope Saint Zephyrinus, who served as Bishop of Rome from about 199 to 217, succeeded Pope Saint Victor I during a period when the Church faced persecution and serious theological disputes. He is especially remembered for defending the Catholic faith in the divinity o...

A meditation for the Feast of Saint Louis IX, King of France, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. Saint Louis IX (1214–1270), King of France, was one of the most renowned Christian rulers of the Middle Ages and a model of the Catholic prince. Ascending the throne as a child, he was formed under the guidance of his devout mother, Blanche of Castile, and...

A meditation for the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle, from Dom Guéranger’s “The Liturgical Year”, Volume V of the Time after Pentecost. Saint Bartholomew, also known as Nathanael in the Gospel tradition, was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Our Lord Jesus Christ. A native of Cana in Galilee, he was introduced to Christ by the Apostle Philip, who told him that they had found the Messiah. In...